Earlier this year Mattel copyrighted the name “Standor.” I assumed people were really making a stretch claiming that Mattel would be making a Stan Lee Masters of the Universe Classics action figure. I mean honestly what does Stan Lee have to do with Masters of the Universe? My opinion was that if it ended up being true Standor would be Mo-Larr levels of awful. Then at San Diego Comic Convention this year they indeed announced Stan Lee would be partnering with Mattel for something, and to celebrate this incredible occasion Standor would be joining the extensive MOTUC collective.

My initial reaction to the rumor was a bit negative. However by the time the announcement came out I thought to myself, “a Stan Lee MOTUC figure? Why the hell not?” It’s not like Masters of the Universe doesn’t have odder things in its canon. They’ve also added additional characters through the toy line like Draego Man, Cy-Chop, Spector, and Castle Grayskullman. Does it really hurt the brand to add Stan “The Man” Lee to the fold? Not really.

Standor will be available as an exclusive for the Stan Lee Komikaze convention which takes place November 1 – 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I believe the plan is to then sell him on Mattycollector some time in December. If you are impatient like me you can grab a loose Standor off of eBay as the linked seller seems to have a handful of them. The figure will not come with any accessories, (unless you consider the glasses an accessory, then he has one) so the figures on eBay are the same as what you would get at the convention without the packaging.

Usually people pay a little more to get something early. This did not end up being the case with Standor. Stan shipped to my house from China in about five days from winning the auction, and I paid $35 dollars total. In the end it cost about $5 less for me to buy and have him shipped from China than it would to have bought it off the official Mattycollector site. Not to mention it took less time to get to me using international shipping than Mattel’s domestic Newgistics freight service. For an online only store Mattel really should evaluate their shipping cost and time situation. I don’t mind paying a little more if I am getting quick service, but the service Mattel provides is the exact opposite of that.

Standor is the typical Masters of the Universe Classics body with a new head and armor. All of the non skin parts are black and sparkly which fits the “cosmic creator” theme they seem to be going for with this character. I’ve heard people who are trying to get Stan all riled up mention that the outfit is almost Jack Kirby inspired. Not being the hugest Marvel fan but being a BIG fan of iceburns I can appreciate the sentiment, even if I don’t know if it’s true or not. Luckily the helmet is removable and if you take it off you reveal his true form of Stan Lee’s head with shades on (or off, they are removable).

The Stan Lee likeness is pretty spot on. What it also made me realize is that if you thinned out his nose a bit you could have a mean custom Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World. The ability to remove his helmet gives you the option to stick Scareglow’s head in there and make a God Skeletor, or as close to what a toy version will probably be. The sparkly clothes also give off a major New Adventures vibe. So even if you don’t like the idea of Stan being in your display his look gives you a lot of additional options.

Originally I was really lukewarm to the idea of a Stan Lee MOTUC figure, but the idea and execution really grew on me. I think Masters of the Universe is a lot more fun when I can accept it as a melting pot of any and all fantasy ideas. If Mattel wants to throw Stan Lee into the universe then go for it. It makes sense as an extra convention exclusive for the year because it really won’t be for everyone. However, much like the Big Lots clearance, it will also bring in outside people to at least take a look at the line. Attention and new blood is never a bad thing for a line that is supposed to be on its last leg (although I’m still not sure I believe it is). Stan isn’t a bad figure at all, and I welcome his nuttiness to my MOTUC collection.

Very cool review of this guy. He’s much better than I expected him to be when I initially heard the concept, that’s for sure. The usage of Scareglow’s head is truly amazing! He looks great there. I’m not sold on the Stan Lee head, though, but obviously that’s the point. If I never own this figure, I think I’ll be ok, but if I get one he’s getting customized in some way, something I rarely do with my toys.

At least with a headswap there is very little actual customization, so that is good. I gotta think they had customizers or head swapper in mind when putting this guy together though, just because the armor goes so well with the New Adventures and Cosmic Guardians theme.

He’s still in Stan Lee mode on my shelf, but thats because Scareglow is awesome and I can’t sacrifice him to make Standor even better. It’s funny how Scareglow was a first year figure and even after so many have been made he’s still one of the best.